Democrats Seeking to Disqualify Other Republicans from Ballot Despite Trump Ruling

Democrats are pushing to disqualify "dozens" of Republicans in addition to former President Donald Trump, according to legal expert Jonathan Turley.

According to Democratic Maryland Rep. Jaime Raskin, congressional Democrats are crafting legislation to disqualify Trump under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars individuals from holding public office if they "have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof."

Look at this news article from The Daily Caller: Jonathan Turley Says Democrats Working To Disqualify ‘Dozens’ Of Republicans Beyond Trump https://t.co/9FCKEUP9HJ

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The Supreme Court's unanimous decision concluded that Colorado lacked the authority to disqualify Trump from the ballot.

Law professor Jonathan Turley noted, "Well, anything is possible because the Supreme Court expressly said that the public should not have to deal with or tolerate this level of chaos in an election, and essentially, Representative Raskin said, ‘Oh yes, they do.'"

Turley added, "He basically came back and said we’re gonna move this over to Congress. Keep in mind that the prior legislation that the Democrats have put forward that are referenced by Raskin sought not just to disqualify Trump — many of those members were seeking to disqualify dozens of their colleagues, other Republicans off ballots to cleanse ballots of these Republican incumbents."

Turley expressed concerns about the erosion of democratic principles, saying, "So, this is a direct assault of what most of us view as democratic values, but you know, they’re gonna have to thread that needle, and I think they could trip more legal problems."

Raskin pledged to reintroduce a bill categorizing January 6, 2021, as an "insurrection" and identifying those involved as having "engaged in insurrection."

While acknowledging that the U.S. Constitution empowers Congress to enforce the "insurrectionist ban" of the 14th Amendment, Turley accused Raskin and his colleagues of seeking to "preserve chaos at all costs."

The Supreme Court cautioned against removing candidates from state ballots, warning of potential disruptions to the electoral process and the creation of a "patchwork" of outcomes that could alter voter behavior, party dynamics, and state actions.

The case stemmed from a decision by the Colorado Supreme Court in late December to disqualify Trump from the ballot over his alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Maine and Illinois followed Colorado's lead, but the Supreme Court swiftly overturned their decisions.